Abiral Rai

I am Abiral Rai, an IFMGA/UIAGM- and NNMGA-certified mountain guide from Solukhumbu, Nepal, with over 15 years of experience in technical mountaineering, high-altitude climbing, expedition leadership, and mountain safety. I am the first Everest summiteer from the Thulung Rai community and, according to my professional record, the first IFMGA-certified mountain guide from the Rai indigenous community of eastern Nepal. I have led and participated in expeditions on 23 peaks in Nepal, with repeated ascents of Island Peak (36 summits), Lobuche Peak (30), Mera Peak (15), Ama Dablam (5), Himlung Himal (4), and Baruntse (3). My 8,000-metre expedition experience includes Mount Everest, which I summited in 2022, 2024, and 2026, as well as Lhotse and Manaslu. I also participated in the 2021 Winter Manaslu Project. Internationally, I have climbed Aconcagua, Vinson Massif, Carstensz Pyramid, Mount Elbrus, Kilimanjaro, Peak Lenin, and in the European Alps. In 2024, I was part of the first ascent of Kuksay Peak (7,186 m) in China’s Pamir Range. These diverse environments have strengthened my experience in expedition planning, route assessment, acclimatization, technical climbing, and high-altitude decision-making. Mountain safety is central to how I work. I serve as an Executive Board Member of the Nepal National Mountain Guide Association (NNMGA) and the Nepal Mountaineering Instructor Association (NMIA). I also served as Sherpa Leader for the Nepal Army’s Everest and Lhotse clean-up campaign in 2022 and participated in search, rescue, and recovery efforts following the 2014 Everest tragedy. My professional background includes RECCO-SAR instruction, Wilderness First Response, mountain medicine, navigation, skiing, crevasse rescue, and technical climbing. As a Chief Instructor in Ice Climbing and Introductory Rock Climbing, I focus on technical skills, acclimatization, safety, and sound mountain decision-making. Alongside guiding, I work as an adventure and high-altitude photographer and videographer. I served as expedition photographer and videographer for Hari Budha Magar’s 2023 Everest expedition and have contributed photography, safety support, and local guiding to projects involving National Geographic, Outside Magazine, Yes Theory Productions, and Yeti’s Mothered by Mountains documentary. For me, mountain guiding is not simply about reaching a summit. It requires preparation, technical competence, sound judgment, teamwork, and respect for the mountain environment. My responsibility is to help climbers understand the risks, make informed decisions, and approach serious high-altitude objectives with the preparation and discipline they require.